The short answer
In a Swedish main clause, inte comes after the finite verb: jag dricker inte kaffe. In a subordinate clause it comes before it: ...att jag inte dricker kaffe. The mnemonic Swedes learn at school is BIFF — i BIsats kommer Inte Före det Finita verbet, "in a subordinate clause, inte comes before the finite verb". The same move applies to aldrig, alltid, ofta, kanske and the other clause adverbs.
BIFF = Bisats Inte Före Finit verb, in subclauses, 'inte' and other adverbs go BEFORE the verb.
In main clauses, 'inte' goes after the verb. In subclauses (att, om, när, etc.), it goes before.
Main clause versus subordinate clause
| Type | Sentence | Position of inte |
|---|---|---|
| Main | Jag dricker inte kaffe | after the verb |
| Subordinate | Hon sa att jag inte dricker kaffe | before the verb |
| Main | Han kommer aldrig i tid | after the verb |
| Subordinate | Eftersom han aldrig kommer i tid… | before the verb |
| Subordinate | Om du inte vill, så säg till | before the verb |
Words that start a subordinate clause
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| att | that |
| om | if / whether |
| när | when |
| eftersom | because |
| fastän / trots att | although |
| som | who / which / that |
| medan | while |
| innan | before |
In a sentence
Jag dricker inte kaffe (main)
I don't drink coffee
...att jag inte dricker kaffe (sub)
...that I don't drink coffee
...eftersom hon aldrig äter kött
...because she never eats meat
What learners get wrong
Jag vet att han dricker inte kaffe.
Say instead: Jag vet att han inte dricker kaffe.
Att opens a subordinate clause, so inte moves in front of the verb. The main-clause order sounds distinctly foreign here.
…eftersom jag kan inte komma.
Say instead: …eftersom jag inte kan komma.
With two verbs, inte goes before the finite one — the one that carries the tense — not before the infinitive.
Questions people ask
- What does BIFF stand for?
- I BIsats kommer Inte Före det Finita verbet — in a subordinate clause, inte comes before the finite verb. It is the standard mnemonic in Swedish schools, and it happens to spell the word for steak, which is why it sticks.
- Does BIFF apply to adverbs other than inte?
- Yes. It covers the clause adverbs as a group: aldrig, alltid, ofta, sällan, redan, kanske, nog, ju. All of them sit before the finite verb in a subordinate clause and after it in a main clause.
- How do I recognise a subordinate clause?
- By the word that opens it: att, om, när, eftersom, fastän, som, medan, innan and the other subordinating conjunctions. A useful test is that a subordinate clause cannot stand alone as a sentence — och han kom is a main clause, att han kom is not.
Sources
Usage checked against Isof, the Swedish government's language institute, and Svenska Akademien. Where usage is genuinely divided, this page says so rather than inventing a rule.